Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to generally to energy harvesting and scavenging, and more specifically to the utilization of a magnetic inertial sensor structure for energy harvesting and scavenging.
Description of the Related Art
Energy harvesting and energy scavenging are processes by which electrical energy is derived from an external power source, such as solar power, thermal energy, wind energy, or kinetic energy. This electrical energy is captured and stored for use to power an electronic device. The energy source for energy harvesting and scavenging is present as an ambient or background source of energy and is inherently present and thus free, in contrast to large scale electrical power generation where an input fuel like natural gas, oil, coal, or water is used in power generation. The two terms energy harvesting and energy scavenging are many times used interchangeably but are typically distinguished by the nature of the energy source. Energy harvesting is most accurately applied to situations where the external energy source is well known and regularly present, whereas energy scavenging applies where the external energy source is not well known and may be irregular or intermittently present.
Energy harvesting and scavenging are thus utilized to provide a very small amount of electrical energy that may be utilized to power low-power electronic devices. The electronic device is typically a small, wireless device like those contained in wearable electronics such as a smart watch, an activity or fitness tracker, and so on. In such a wearable electronic device, a user wears the device and the mechanical or kinetic energy in the form of movement of the user may be harvested or scavenged to generate electrical energy. There is a need for improved energy harvesting and scavenging techniques that increase the generated electrical energy.